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Re: How To Make Your Own Frames - Photo Tutorial

You MUST use a push stick to push through both pieces at the same time. The saw will cut through the foot of the push stick, so keep the push stick in the same place every time. (I typically put it against the fence and then I'm fine. You'll need a 1" wide stick for this purpose) It will save your thigh. A push stick or a piece that would sit flat on the top of the top bar with a foot (To catch the pieces) and handle on it would be even safer. Other than that you'd need to go slowly / carefully trying to flip the piece end to end to cut through the piece. (which would be risky for sure!!!)

Re: How To Make Your Own Frames - Photo Tutorial

Great job on the tutorial. As I begin making mine for this year, I'm thinking of removing the taper on the top bars. Every time I remove frames during inspections, I "free" SHB that have been corralled under the top bars. I'm going to experiment with a couple boxes to see if flat bottomed top bar ends would be too hard to remove when propolized by the bees. If I can remove this dead space under the taper, maybe I can remove a hiding spot for SHB. Has anyone else tried this?

Re: How To Make Your Own Frames - Photo Tutorial

I think you'd be fine to keep it straight. Kelly's makes their boxes so that the rabbit at the top has the matching angle so that there's no space there. The SHB do get inbetween the ends of the top bars and the box, however a hive tool does wonders to take care of them there as long as you do it before moving / breaking the frame free or else they'll just go down into the box. I have had bees propolis the whole frame around closing that gap. It was still easy enough to get the frames out.